Roof Repair in Tampa

Roof repair in Tampa is mostly about catching small problems before the rainy season turns them into big ones. A summer here brings near-daily afternoon storms, and a gap that lets in a cup of water in April can rot a section of decking by September.

The leaks we see most

Most leaks we trace around Tampa Bay come from a handful of places, and none of them are the middle of an otherwise healthy roof:

• Pipe boots. The rubber collar around plumbing vents cracks in the sun long before the shingles around it wear out. It’s one of the cheapest repairs there is, and one of the most common.
• Flashing. The metal where the roof meets a wall, a chimney or a skylight can lift, rust or lose its sealant. Water runs behind it and shows up as a stain well away from the actual gap.
• Lifted or missing shingles. Strong gusts can break the seal strip under a shingle tab. Once it lifts, the next storm can tear it off.
• Cracked or slipped tile. Someone walking on the roof, a fallen branch or high wind can crack a tile. The tile above the crack is the visible problem. The underlayment beneath it is the real one.
• Valleys. Where two slopes meet, all the water from both runs through one channel. Debris builds up there, and worn valleys are a frequent source of leaks on tile roofs.
• Clogged gutters. On homes with gutters, water backing up under the roof edge can rot fascia and the edge of the deck.

How a repair visit works

We start with a full look at the roof, not just the spot you called about, because a leak in one place often has a cousin somewhere else. Where we can get into the attic, we look at the underside of the deck too: dark staining, damp insulation and daylight where there shouldn’t be any all tell us something.

Then you get photos. Every problem we find goes in a short report with a photo and a plain description, along with what we’d do about it and what it costs, itemized. You choose what gets done. If something can wait, we’ll say so. If something can’t, we’ll explain why.

Most repairs are done the same day or on a return visit once materials are in. We test our work where we can, and the finished repair gets photographed too, so you have a record.

Repairs on tile and metal roofs

Tile and metal repairs take more care than shingle work. A concrete or clay tile roof can’t be walked on carelessly, and a crew that isn’t used to tile can crack more pieces than it fixes. We set out a walking path, lift the tiles around the problem, repair the underlayment, and relay the tile with matching pieces where they’re still made.

On metal roofs, most problems are at fasteners, seams and flashing rather than in the panels. We replace failed fasteners and sealant, refasten loose panels and reflash penetrations.

When we say it’s time to replace

A repair is the right call most of the time. It stops being the right call when the same roof keeps producing new leaks, when the decking is soft across a whole slope, or when the underlayment under tile has failed broadly. At that point we’ll give you the repair price and the roof replacement price side by side, and tell you which we’d choose if it were our house.

After a storm

If the damage came from a hurricane or a hard summer storm, take photos of what you can see from the ground, stay off the roof, and book a storm damage inspection. A temporary repair to stop water getting in is often the first job, and keeping the receipts and photos from that repair helps when you talk to your insurer.

Not sure whether your stain is a leak or old damage? Our guide on repairing or replacing a roof covers the signs we look for.